


Crush

by BlackKittens



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Denial of Feelings, Flirting, Pining, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22150471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackKittens/pseuds/BlackKittens
Summary: Gogo insists Tadashi has a crush on Professor Callaghan. Tadashi denies it. He absolutely does not have a crush on him. No way. No. Not at all. And he's totally not in denial even to himself.
Relationships: Fred | Fredzilla/Honey Lemon, Robert Callaghan/Tadashi Hamada, Tadashi Hamada & Go Go Tomago
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29





	Crush

"You totally have a crush on Callaghan," Gogo accused casually, as Tadashi held her bike in place for her while she worked on dismantling and replacing the wheels.

Tadashi froze. "What? I do not."

Gogo snorted, twisting the wrench in her hand around the screw. "Yeah right. Lately, whenever he so much as _looks_ at you, you get this weird look on your face like you're about to burst off to the moon. That, or wet your pants."

Tadashi glowered, his stance relaxing at the ridiculous notion. "Really, Gogo? Wet myself?"

She merely shrugged. "It's true. You do."

"You're gross."

She pulled her wrench away and calmly pointed it at him, lowering her chin and raising her eyes in a critical gesture. "And _you_ act like there's something wrong with crushing on a professor. Like half the world doesn't crush on one of their teachers at some point."

"That's because I don't have a crush on Callaghan," he retorted.

He didn't. He had no idea what she was talking about with 'looks' that he was going to burst off to the moon or wet himself or whatever. He was nervous when Professor Callaghan looked his way was all. Tadashi was hard at work planning out his healthcare companion project, which was a seriously ambitious idea. It would take him months to do the coding on his proposed healthcare chip alone. Then there was hooking up the chip to the body, and its AI... The stress of it all might kill him. But it would be so rewarding when it was done.

Tadashi could only imagine the high praise world renowned scientists like Professor Callaghan would have for his bot and all the good it would do for the world - likewise, he could also imagine the heavy disappointment if he failed. So what if the thought of Professor Callaghan clapping him on the shoulder made his heart pound or shaking his head in disappointment made his stomach flop?

Because yes, those were in the only thoughts in his mind when Professor Callaghan looked his way. Only those. Tadashi wasn't in denial of having a crush on him; it was totally inappropriate to dream of a relationship with his professor, and anxiety-inducing to dream of one with a man like Professor Callaghan. Besides, even if he did have a crush on him, he'd be setting himself up for disappointment dreaming of such things because Professor Callaghan would absolutely refuse any idea of a relationship with a student.

He had no idea what he'd think of one with a recently graduated, former student, though. But Tadashi certainly hadn't graduated yet, and he wasn't waiting until graduation because he wasn't attracted to Callaghan. That was absurd.

"Come on," Gogo insisted, returning her attention to her bike, "I crushed on a teacher in high school. Mr. Goung was hot."

"I really don't want to hear you thirst over your old teacher," he stated, wrinkling his nose.

She scoffed. "Like you don't go all doe-eyed and drool at the thought of Callaghan. At least my teacher was only ten years older than me - he was new to teaching high school! Callaghan's so old and wrinkly."

Tadashi stiffened defensively. "Hey! That doesn't mean he's bad looking - !"

He stopped himself short right there.

Gogo glanced up at him with a smirk.

Tadashi scowled. "I hate you. Just because I don't think being older makes you ugly doesn't mean I have a crush on him."

She popped the front wheel off and laid it on its side, reaching for its replacement. She popped her gum. "Yeah, you do. And it's not like that's my only evidence, Mr. Doe Eyes Who Look Like They're About to Burst Off to the Moon. You like him, admit it already."

 _"No._ Because it's not true. Besides, what gives you the right to make insinuations about my love life?"

"I'm one of your best friends."

"Best friends don't badger each other like this."

Gogo lifted her head sharply, eyes wide. "Ha!" she laughed mockingly. "We all - including YOU - badgered Fred _and_ Honey Lemon until they got together! Aren't they so sappy and sweet now? It's disgusting; he brought her flowers this morning, which she had to take out of the labs because of contamination risks with her chemicals, but Honey Lemon kissed his cheek and they got all gushy. Blah! But it was still worth it now that they're not pining anymore, right?"

Tadashi pressed his lips together in a thin line. That was - that was different.

Fred and Honey Lemon had been _unbearable._ Constant looks and glancing around, Fred tossing himself dramatically to the floor and sighing in wonder when Honey Lemon wasn't here, Honey Lemon suddenly working on all these real science experiments that would make Fred's eyes light up and declare "Awesome!" and just all around romance. Just without, you know, being a couple. Since they weren't together. And that was the worst part, with Fred pulling his face to him and Wasabi about how great, beautiful, and exciting Honey Lemon was, but there was no way she could see him as anything but a friend, and Honey Lemon burying her face in her hands and practically falling on Gogo about how fun, enthusiastic, and caring Fred was, but there was no way he liked her back.

Eventually, it got to the point that enough was enough. Tadashi, Gogo, and Wasabi had been ready to lock the two of them in Tadashi's lab together overnight to get them to finally confess to each other already. In fact, they were starting to seriously consider and plot out the plan when they, suddenly out of nowhere, got their acts together and mutually confessed. Maybe in some part due to everyone assuring them that, YES, the other was crushing on them back and here's an alphabetized list of the evidence, but for a minute there, Operation Locked Lab was almost a-go.

Tadashi didn't like Professor Callaghan. Professor Callaghan didn't like him. They didn't pester the rest of the gang with their love struck whining and moping. No.

"Are you saying," he asked, stone faced, "that I should confess my non-existent feelings for Callaghan to him, Gogo?"

She began screwing on the new front wheel. "Nah, s'not worth getting kicked out of his classes for. I just want you to stop playing around and admit it."

Tadashi threw his head back. "Unbelievable! I don't have a crush on Professor Callaghan, Gogo!"

Gogo perked up. She set her wrench down and stood, dusting off her hands. "Oh, yeah? Here he comes. Act natural, Tadashi."

He could have screamed at the teasing tone in her voice, but she was right; Professor Callaghan _was_ coming their way.

"Mr. Hamada, Miss Chun," their professor nodded as he strolled leisurely up to them, coming to a stop next to Gogo and her bike. "How are you doing?"

Gogo cocked her head towards her bike. "Great, professor."

When she said no more than that, apparently uninterested in talking about her project for once, Professor Callaghan nodded and turned to Tadashi, all smiles.

Tadashi's cheeks warmed. "Uh, I, uh - Good! My schematics for my healthcare companion are going well! Sir," he added lamely at the end, for no decipherable reason his mind could justify, except that leaving it at simply that had felt lame and adding a 'sir' would somehow make him sound better. Sure.

Professor Callaghan chuckled, completely at ease. "I assume they are. You always do excellent work, Mr. Hamada."

His cheeks burned at the praise. It was strange; they hadn't burned like this last year, not when any of his other professors complimented him. Someone had probably turned the heat up in the lab with some invention, he bet that was it.

"Th-thank you, sir."

The heat was making him stumble over his tongue; that was all.

"You're welcome. I anticipate great things from you, Mr. Hamada." Professor Callaghan clapped one hand on Tadashi's shoulder as he moved to leave - Tadashi's brain shut down and had to do a system reboot at that - and lowered his voice as he left off with, "If you have any troubles, drop by my office. I'd _love_ to see how you're doing and help you along."

His hand lingered half a second as the rest of his body moved towards another, farther off student, until it reluctantly slid off Tadashi's body.

He shivered, not at all cold.

Gogo gaped.

Tadashi instantly dreaded that look; Gogo was not one to gape. Get surprised from time to time, widen her eyes? Sure; gape? No. This was going to be bad.

"Dude," she breathed, "did you see that? He totally forgot I was there and that _absolutely_ sounded like subtle flirting to me. You lucky dog, I think he likes you back!"

Tadashi groaned. "No. No, no, no! Stop that. Stop talking like that. We're done with this conversation, Gogo!"

"What? You're of age; you can consent," she said, which only made Tadashi swivel for her workbench and face plant onto the counter. "If you're quiet about it, you won't get kicked out of SFIT. Seriously, when was the last time you went after a crush and got some? Answer me, Tadashi."

Tadashi refused to answer that, or listen to any more of her encouragements on the matter, screwing his eyes shut and doing his best to block her out. This was the last time he was helping her with her bike; she could get someone else to hold it for her while she replaced the back wheel. Traitor.

(Internally, though, his heart was singing - that _was_ flirting, wasn't it? He wondered what it would sound like to hear 'Tadashi' come out Professor Callaghan's mouth rather than 'Mr. Hamada.' Probably like Heaven. God, he had it bad. So much for waiting for graduation.)


End file.
